The Procurer
by Aurora Demons
Summary: Bill Compton was sent to procure Sookie Stackhouse for the Queen Of Louisanna, and we all know how that turned out. Bill was known for his talents in procurement across the vampire world in America, but how did he get this reputation? Look into Bill's history and how he became known as 'The Procurer'. (Based on a line from '9 Crimes' S3x04)
1. Prologue: Our Worlds Are Too Different

**The Procurer**

 **Author's Note:** _This is based on_ _something Bill said in the episode 9 Crimes(S3×04), in which he explains that he used to be Procurer for Sophie-Anne. This made me think about what this could mean especially due to the nature of Vampires, including their possessiveness and attitude as seeing Humans as objects. It was also interesting to see his interaction with the dancer that he procured for Russell and the rest to eat._

 _Most of this story is set pre-season 1(Just after Lorena released him), before Sookie Met Bill and attempts to 'rationalize' (but definitely not excuse it) some of his behaviour due to the past._

 _I've also not tried to write as a Bill before, so I'm not sure how much I can nail the character or not, but I'll give it a go._

 **Prologue: Our worlds are too different**

 _ **Procure, Definition:**_

 _1\. Obtain (something), especially with care or effort._

 _2\. To obtain (someone) to be employed for sex (as for an individual or in a house of prostitution)._

 _3\. Persuade or cause (someone) to do something_

Bill Compton was conflicted. It wasn't that he was trying to make a hard decision, on the contrary; he had already made the decision, it was more the emotions he was having on the aftermath of the decision. He had made this decision on what felt like 100 times before, and had no quarrels about it, so what was different about this?

One word, Sookie. His Sookie. She was supposed to be just another task, just another girl, another human to procure for one reason or the other. The reasons he never cared to learn about the others, he just got what he needed to do, done. Meet them. Feed them blood, make them trust him, make them fall in love, make them dependent, and then he would be done with them. He never sought them out after or asked about their well-being or situation. Yet, Sookie had been different. He hadn't followed through with it as he usually did. He found himself attached to her, in a way he had never felt with anyone from becoming a vampire. What had changed?

He had taken a break from it, procurement, before being asked by the vampire Queen of Louisiana to obtain a special telepath for her, apparently he had been recommended by the best in the business, and he couldn't say no to the queen. However, he had no idea how this telepath would change him, how she would go from the telepath, he had to obtain, to Sookie, who was his. It was because of all this, that he was finding making a simple telephone call, a menial task, such a challenge.

As he pressed the buttons on his phone to dial the number, he seemed to be hesitant. He had done this so many times before, in much worse situations. He had walked away as women screamed and tried grabbing at his feet, as he left them in bars, brothels and other terrifying places in the hands of other vampires, and this time he wasn't even doing that. He ignored the groans and squeals of grown men, as he drank their blood over a table, with those that had commissioned the job in the first place.

Biting the bullet, as he pressed the last button on his phone, a technology he would have considered in his younger days, as unimaginable, and waited to hear the soft voice of his Sookie for the last time. He had to do this; he had to let her go. It was for the best, and it would be the only way to save her from a fate most considered worse than death.

"Hello?... Hello?... Bill?" He heard a frantic voice on the other side of the phone. He could feel through the bond they had formed that she was worried. He was usually good at suppressing it, or at least ignoring it, but he didn't want to do that this time. He deserved to feel everything, this time. For doing such a thing to the person he had grown to care about so deeply.

"... Yes" he replied. It was his intention to be distant, as if it would somehow make it easier for Sookie. Perhaps it would make her question whether she knew him at all, and that would make her question their entire relationship. Anything that would make it better for her, even if it hurt him. He deserved that, more than anything.

"Are you hurt? I know the werewolves have you."Sookie continued. It stung that she was still concerned for his welfare, when he had not shown the same for her. If anything he had put her life in more danger.

"Nobody has me. I have left my life in Bon Temps, and I am leaving you." He replied, trying remove any or all emotion from his voice, if possible.

Though the blood bond, that he now regretted he had formed in the first place, the emotions seemed to confuse with his own. He couldn't tell if it was him feeling the dread and despair or whether it was her. Either way it didn't matter. He deserved to feel nothing but this, for what he had done to all those people. And most of all to Sookie, it was only now he could see what a monster he was. He had caused them nothing but pain, they had only suffered around him. As for Sookie, their worlds were to different, and so was their nature, even if she didn't know it.

What hurt the most, was that she didn't believe him. It was like she could feel his emotions as well, and tell the truth apart from the lie, something others never registered in the past.

No, he had to do this; he had to stay strong and not be weak. He couldn't risk it, otherwise his past would haunt him and fight him. If not for that, he had to keep her safe, away from Lorena, Sophie-Anne and the king he had just confirmed his allegiance to.

"Believe what you want. You are no longer of concern to me. Do not try to find me. I do not wish to be found." He made sure his voice sounded cold, as if that would somehow make it easier for her to hate him. Without another moment's thought, he ended the call, not wishing to hear her any longer.

If he had the need to breath, he would do just that. If he could walk forever, he would do that, just to shut out everything and everyone. He truly was a monster.

"William." He heard the impatient tone of his maker voice. He was no longer obliged to do as she said, yet the magic in his blood seemed to always have the instinct to do so. He turned slowly to see the king himself, standing next to her, with his arrogance and importance radiating across the room.

"Mr Compton, your maker tells me you have quite the unique talent for acquiring things." Bill lifted his head slightly, the tone in the words not going could tell where this was going, and he didn't like it.

"Yes, your majesty." Bill answered out of respect if not anything else. He spotted the cruel smirk on his makers face. She knew, he hated talking or remembering this time of his life, and she enjoyed torturing him over it, as she put it, it was who he really was. Maybe that was true, that was now, who he was, but he hadn't always been. Not before Sarah withered and died in front of him, not before he had to bury his own son, and not before his small but human life was snatched from him, by a black-hearted and cold woman. The king seemed to be expecting something more from him than a simple yes. He wanted evidence or a claim to back it up. Clearly his maker had promised the king something, and she was playing a game with him to see how far he would go. The inconvenience of it was, that he had no choice but to play along, If he was going keep Sookie safe, if he was going to keep what she was, a secret never to be revealed.

"I spent almost half a century with The Crimson Society." he had been a while since he had put any thought into that part of his life, and this was intentional. He despised who he was back then, the monster he had become. Though the society was long dead by now, it didn't mean that's its chilling effect and end was ignored by the vampire world.

"Do tell, William. I am afraid I only know the story second-hand, your majesty. My progeny and I, we parted company at that time." He glared at his maker At this moment. Why must she torture him so? What did she have to gain?

"The Crimson Society! You are surprising Mr Compton, especially considering your previous feelings for a human. " The king seemed to pause in thought at that moment, before moving on. "I always considered them Sanguanistan fools, the ones I crossed paths with, however their techniques and cruelty even to each other, was always entertaining to watch. Please, tell us more of your time with them, while Talbot is preparing the second course!".

Bill caught the eye of his maker at that point, the familiar cold glint, and a smirk plastered across her face. He quickly changed eye contact to king. "Of course, your majesty, I first came into contact with them, just after Lorena had released me."

Bill took an unneeded deep breath. If his and Sookie's worlds were to different now, there was not a word to describe the oxymoron of his membership of The Crimson Society. It was going to be a long night telling this story, perhaps the longest in his life.


	2. Chapter 1 : Your Choices Are Your Own

**Chapter 1 : Your Choices Are Your Own**

 _Autumn 1935_

The eyes on a person's face could reveal as much as words from their lips; after all, there was a reason for the phrase 'if looks could kill'. Bill only wished that were possible. Locking eyes with his maker, anger, hurt and pain radiating off both of them, like a desert on a warm summer's day.

He just could not do this anymore, it was cruel if not anything else. He couldn't pretend anymore, for he would lose himself and his last shred of humanity. He had spent decades trying, seeing if he lied to her, everyone and himself, that eventually he would believe it. This was all in vain, he knew that now and so did Lorena.

"I gave you everything! Everything and you've thrown it away, moaning over what you've lost. You disgust me." shouted his maker, making his thoughts shatter like pierced glass. The magic that animated his body after death, also connected them emotionally. So that meant that he could not only feel his own desperation and pain, but also Lorena's angry bitterness and overwhelming sense of betrayal. As paralysing as this was, it also proved that pretending longer was a road without an end, and deceiving her in such a way would only cause her more hurt in the long run, and When Lorena was hurt, she hurt others.

His thoughts on that matter though, didn't disperse his own anger. She had taken everything away from him. His wife, his children, his death and his mortality. Now he was cursed to watch everyone around him wither and turn to dust, never moving forward, just frozen, with everything in the past there to make every moment feel twice as long. She had not given him everything, she had just made everything around him turn to poison at their touch. It didn't matter that he disgusted her, because he detested himself, more so, for all innocents lives he had crippled with his warped behaviour.

"Then let me go." Bill pleaded with his maker. He had to end this, one way or another. He couldn't live with the guilt or the dread of knowing that for as long as he stayed with her, piece by piece and body by body, his humanity would disappear, much like Lorena's had for all the period that they had known each other.

"No. I made you and you are mine!" He heard her snipe back. That was one thing he had learned in his relatively short time as a creature of the night: vampires seemed to be instinctively possessive. It didn't matter what it was, territory, Jewellery, clothing, humans, each other, if it could be claimed, you could almost guarantee a vampire had claimed it, whether it was known by others or not. Bill was never quite sure of the origins of this trait, but what was clear to him, all the vampires that were much older and more powerful than him, exhibited this animistic and inhuman nature. He didn't see himself that way, not yet, but he was sure the more time he spent with his maker, the more he would become so, and he would be so much further away from the honourable man he used to consider himself to be.

"You know I don't love you." He retorted. It was cold of him to be so blunt, but it seemed that was the only way, he could get her to see what was in front of her. He didn't love her, he never had and all the trying and loyalty towards her would not change that. The woman loved was dead, his last memory of her, being how he scared her, because of what he was. Perhaps that was the thing keeping his last shred of humanity intact. Caroline was always the light in his life, and now she was his light within death. To think, before they met, he thought he would dislike her.

"You never tried!" His only companion in death fired back at him. How could she say that ? Could she really not see all the things he had done for her over the last few decades. The people he had killed and damaged just trying to prove that he loved her, that he would do anything for her. Was she really that oblivious to all his actions ? Perhaps that was the reason she didn't understand the grief he felt, even after all this time. Of course, she didn't, she was as cold as a frozen pond.

Even after explaining all the things he had done for her, he could still sense the disbelief radiating from her. She really didn't believe in all the effort he had put in. All that time deceiving himself, wasted, when he could have ended his vampire life a long time ago, and already be lying next to his wife and children in the ground.

He needed to be free, free from her at least. To at least see whether he truly had become a monster, or was simply emulating Lorena's. She had described it to him once, when vampires live and feed together, they formed a nest, and in nest animistic behaviour seemed to over power any other instinct. They were hunters, after all. Every instinct in his body seemed to want to make him betray every part of himself. What would Caroline think if she could see him now ? He had never forgotten that empty but horrified look on her face, on the day they buried their son together. That look was the only thing that had kept him somewhat sober to his humanity after spending so much time with a cold and lonely creature.

" I have spent decades tryin'! I despise myself for what I did for you! God help me. I killed innocent people to prove to that I loved you! But it was pure annilism... I do not, I cannot, I will never love you". He raged. He could not keep up his calm exterior, even for his own sake. If she was so self-absorbed why should he tread lightly as to not provoke her.

"Men have readily laid down their lives to spend just one night with me. What more can I give? What is it that you want from me?". Why did she not see it ? Still. A body to lie next to wasn't all a man wanted. There were other things, and none of these things Lorena was capable of giving him, even if she tried. Her maker had destroyed her from that perspective. She didn't have a choice then, but now she did and had yet to make a decision that wasn't driven by her makers teaching. That was what he wanted, before he was unable to know that, himself.

"Choice... Let me go". It was as simple as that.

As she mentioned something about being alone forever, it occurred to him, the reason for her resistance. With those words it was one of the few rare times he had seen his maker not for the cold cruel creature but the young girl, and how truly young she was. Both appearance but more importantly emotionally. No matter how empathetic he felt about this, it wasn't strong enough to overwhelm his own desire for choice. She was the one that was afraid of being alone, the saddest, loneliest creature he ever knew.

The words left his thoughts through his mouth before he could stop them, and before he could even register his makers hastened rage, he found himself crashing into the oak table, it splintering and breaking around him. He liked that table, it reminded him of the one he had built Caroline for their first home. Now it was collapsed around him, broken into pieces. A rather cruel juxtaposition for his current existence it seemed. One that he could not stand to endure much longer.

The broken wood was there as if we're meant to be, snapped in such way that it could be used to stake his kind, with minimal effort on his part. Was this God's way ? Had he made this evening fall in such a way, that this is what God wanted him to do ? Though his worship of God had diminished, since he had become this, it did not mean his faith had wavered. He was a good Christian most of his human life. Was.

As he picked up the stake, he could not fault his makers observational skills.

"... You hate me that much?" She countered. It didn't seem like a question aimed him, more one she was asking herself. It would make sense, after all she must have considered the same action during her time with Ivastan if he had not used the makers commands to manipulate her into the creature she was today.

"Let me go." He tried one more time. He wasn't sure he wasn't sure he wanted to live, but nor was he sure he wanted to die either. It was just her, he couldn't stand, and he didn't have it in him to stake her, even if he could somehow find the ability to overpower her.

Bloody tears ran down his makers face, and through the emotional bond that tied them together, as maker and child, he could feel the conflict within her.

"I cannot live without you." It was said in a tone not much louder than whisper. It wasn't what he had expected her to say, the statement didn't correlate with her nihilistic beliefs.

She was going to have to. He put the stake towards his heart, with only a mere push needed to end his existence.

"No! Don't!... As your maker... I release you." Unexpectedly, a rush of emotion filled his very soul. His heart was heavy as if someone had hit him there, and his thoughts seemed dead silent compared to the moment before those words had be spoken. She had done it, he had done it. He was free. Free to make his own choices, and that included whether to live or to die.

He wasn't sure how long it had been that he had been occupied with the thoughts and feelings within his own head, but at some point Lorena had left, with no word and no indication of where she might be going. That was probably for the best, if either knew where each other was at this moment, they probably wouldn't be able to resist each other.

There were so many things he could or couldn't do now, it was a dilemma where to start. He could go back home, if he wished, though there would be nothing there for him now, but empty walls filled with echoes and demons of the past. No, he wasn't ready to go home yet, or maybe even ever. He had yet to explore this city, for Lorena had said they must keep a low profile if they had wished to stay long.

One thing was for sure, after all that emotion and fight within him, he was starving. He needed to feed. Only, it would be different this time: it was not only that he no longer to share his meal, but he could decide the fate of this one. He didn't have to kill them, if he didn't want to. It was his own decision, his choice. He could choose to be better, and not the monster that had been forced him.

It seemed bittersweet that the place he would try to reinvent himself would be California. Even before his birth, California seemed to be the place for those who wanted a better start. The Forty Niners had found success in their search for gold, and the west transformed by manifest destiny years later, with each event having its place in history. Of course that didn't mean everything was happy, the 100's of Native Indians killed, to achieve this was not highlighted nor the slavery, but for success there had to be sacrifices he knew that. Humanity could be just as cruel and cold as a vampire could be.

After composing himself he made his way out of the room, on to the street below. The sun had set only three hours ago, yet this street seemed full of life. A single street, thriving against the struggling America, during what the locals called 'The Great Depression'. It was something that inspired him, about humanity, no matter how dark the situation became, they managed to see a light at the end of it. They had done so during and the great war, and he was sure that they would do again.

Scanning the surrounding humans, he was trying to decide which one of them would be his meal for the night. To his right, a homeless man, singing against the cold wind. Nobody would notice if he disappeared briefly, and then just appeared on the street with some damage, if anything the people around here purposely ignored them, as they had their own problems to deal with. No, even if that was the case, he didn't think he could stand the stench to feed from him, he could smell it from here and it was revolting.

He scanned the street further, and the scent caught his attention before his eyes managed to sense where it was coming from. It was sweet, like the vanilla his wife used to put in the cakes she made on Sunday. It belonged to the woman coming out the back of some sort Cafe that the human's liked, a place named 'Clifton's Cafeteria'. At speed, he moved further towards her, as the girl seem to take a big breath and lean against the bins she just put the rubbish in. She must work there, as it would make no sense otherwise. He stepped forward slightly allowing the light from the Cafe to reflect off him a little. He didn't want to startle her, not if this was going to go nice and quietly, not if he wanted to keep her alive.

To give the girl credit, she noticed him quicker than humans usually did. Maybe that's just because she was younger and working a graveyard shift, on a busy street. Her head lifted to look at him, before back down at her own shoes. The move was quick, quick enough that only a vampire would spot the change in colour of her skin on her cheek. It was bruised, even in this light, he could see it. The predator within him, could tell that she was curious. Everything about him was built to draw the humans in, drawing the mouse into the Lion's nest.

"Mister?" she questioned, her voice soft but audible among the whistling wind. "The Boss doesn't like people hanging back here, bad for business apparently, but he operates a PAY WHAT YOU WISH policy, and if you can't afford it right now, he'll let you eat anyway" she finished. Right, she thought he was after food or something, hanging by the bins and all that. He supposed his appearance didn't help matters, his skin pale as the snow.

"Thank you, Miss" he replied politely, stepping closer towards her. He was definitely going to take her up on the offer to eat, though not in the way she was thinking. Before he knew it, he was closing in on the girl, letting the hunter within him take over momentarily. As the girl backed away from his advances the wall behind her, stopped her from going any further. He watched as her finger tips seem trace the brick that her back now lay against.

"Mister?" She questioned again. Her face and her lips seem to quiver as she saw his face and eyes change and his fangs drop from his mouth. "Please." They always seemed to beg, and he didn't know why. Was that some sort of human instinct ? It had been so long, he had forgotten what it was like to fight for survival. As his fangs ripped into her skin, he felt her wet tears drip against his shirt. As her blood made its way down his throat, it took over him, as if nothing else was in the world but him and the blood. He would have forgotten that there was girl within his grip if it wasn't for the muffled sobs every so often.

He could feel her pulse getting weaker, which meant he had to stop. He needed to stop or he would kill her. He couldn't have his first day with his own choices end up with a death, that would be setting him up to fail. He ripped himself away from her, fighting the predator within him. His arms no longer holder her body up, the body slumped to the floor, still crying and sobbing. He had done it though, she was still alive, and he had made that choice, a choice of his own. He would need glamour her though, then she wouldn't be crying anymore, and she could go back to her boring human life, and deal with whatever had caused the bruising on her face.

It took him moment to realize someone was watching him, leaning against the door with their arms folded across themselves. It wasn't a human somebody, they didn't have a pulse or a heartbeat that he could hear. Keeping his fangs out, he didn't know whether this person was a threat. He scanned them up and down. This man couldn't' be described as anything but flamboyant, by his demeanour and sense of fashion.

"You left her alive." He could not help but notice the slight French accent, to his words. It wasn't a question, he noticed, it was a statement. This vampire was older than him, he could tell. He wasn't as old as a Mr Northman he had met with his maker, but he definitely wasn't the same age as himself. "Interesting." The vampire then let his own fangs snap down over his lips, as Bill continued to stare at him.

"Malcolm?" a feminine voice called from behind. This man must have been Malcolm, for the voice wasn't loud enough for anything but vampire to hear the call. "While I'm glad, you seem to have found yourself a gentlemen friend for the night, I thought maybe I had taught you enough respect, to do as your maker asked you, before tending to your own needs." There was a playful tone in the woman's voice but that didn't mean lacked any sense of authority.

"As if I would do that, Mistress." The vampire replied coolly. This vampire must have been his maker, and an older one at that, it only seemed to be the older ones that demanded the respect from their child in such a way. "Found her, it just so happened that I found, this handsome man feeding on her." He seemed to choose his words with caution.

As the owner of the feminine voice came into view. He could not believe his eyes. The woman resembled Caroline, more than his eyes could take in. Was this his mind playing tricks on him ? Was it the blood? Had it gone to his head ? He felt the woman's eyes stare at his, as if they could see right through him and to his very soul.

"Was he now?" The older vampire questioned. "Well, What am I going to do about that ? Considering I claimed her." It was At that moment, that all three of them seemed to look in the direction of the sobbing girl.

What had he done? On the first night of making his own choices, he had fed on another Vampire's human. His choices were now his own, and so were the consequences.


	3. Chapter 2: Capable of Just About Anythin

**Chapter 2 : Anyone Is Capable of Just About Anything**

There were no words spoken between the three of them for a moment. It appeared to him that they had all forgotten the girl was there. In a way, the claim on the girl did explain her reaction, most humans would have tried to run or scream by now, rather than sit sobbing as three of the same creatures stood in the same area.

Though he had heard of claims on human's before, it was rare. A claim in the vampire world was a big deal, most vampires considered humans below them, so forming a contract with them, meant one of two things: the vampire cared greatly for them, or they were something of serious gain. His maker had always shown disinterested in the idea, something about the responsibility of looking after a pet. Yet, from what he heard, it always seemed to be the eldest of his kind that kept them. He did understand the politics around the issue, even if he didn't quite get the attraction, and feeding of another's human was forbidden. His maker told him stories of those who had done so in the past, what the authority had done to them, another reason against the idea. Surely, he could stop it before it got that far, maybe he could convince the vampires not to report it, or find the sheriff of the area and explain the situation first. If the authority were called, his maker would be involved, and it was too short of time, to be reunited already.

"I was not aware, of your claim on her, had I been aware of it, I would not have dreamt of feeding on her, I assure you". He paused, trying to gauge the reaction, on the stranger's familiar face, but it was giving nothing away. The man who answered to Malcolm though, a smirk was plastered on his face.

"Clearly. Wait there, I need to deal with that." The woman hissed, nodding her head towards the girl.

It annoyed him that the woman didn't bother to hide her arrogant tone from her words. He did not even know who she was, yet she seemed to expect respect from him either way. He wasn't about to be suicidal, he would play along, for now. As long as it would keep the authority and his maker away. He knew how to be charismatic, if he needed to be, it was something Lorena had taught him in the 1920s to seduce a few French couples into their grasp. Though it made him sick, that we he would still use her tactics, even if she weren't here, it was only temporary. He would only do so to get him out of this situation, and then he would go on as he had previously intended to.

He watched as the woman walked, slowly like a cat catching its prey, towards the girl, bending down so that she was closer to her level. Every movement the woman made seem to be calculated, in order to get the girl's attention. Surely, there were quicker ways to glamour her, he thought. Why the theatrical-ism, especially if the woman had claimed the human girl already, she would know their kind, and how they conducted themselves.

"Kitten?" The woman said, barely louder than a whisper, sniffing the woman's hair at the same time. It didn't quite seem caring, nor animalistic, but he couldn't quite find the right word to describe it. He heard as the girl's heartbeat seemed to speed up as the woman touched her head. It was a moment before he saw the girls head lift, her eyes flickering to him before quickly returning her gaze to the older vampire.

"I want out, Eva." The human girl replied to the vampire in front of her. Eva, it wasn't the name he expected the graceful elder vampire to have, but maybe that was just because she resembled his Caroline so much, that nothing else but her name, would have. He couldn't let himself get drawn in, this woman wasn't Caroline, Caroline was dead, along with the rest of his family.

An unneeded sigh left the vampire who seem to be known as Eva. Their kind, had no need to breath, nor could they, so what else could this be other than for dramatic effect or some other end goal, he had yet to figure out. He still hadn't quite grasped what the relationship was between Eva and the human, so had yet to grasp, any sort of game or plan he had interrupted. The faster beating heart, as well as Eva's seemingly purposeful actions and reactions, made it seem to him, that this wasn't a relationship of love and care, but something else. The faster heartbeat seemed to suggest the girl was scared of her, and the fact that the vampire seemed to care more about the claim that tending to her human, seemed to consolidate his thoughts further.

"No." Eva said abruptly. Her voice was still quiet, but there was edge to it, he noticed. A warning if he didn't know better. He had heard his maker use the same tone, and nothing fantastic seemed to happen when any woman used that tone. It seemed to be some power that Woman had, to completely change the tone of conversation, or completely change your thoughts on a subject, with just a word, and didn't matter what that word was, it was just the way they said it. Most women also seemed to be aware of this as well. He could help but smile briefly, remember the time he had got his Caroline some Lemon Verbena.

"No ?Just no, is that all you're going to say?" The human girl's heart was still beating fast, and tears still stained her face, yet she still managed to reply to the creature in front of her. He did not know the human or the Eva the vampire that well, so could not assess whether this was brave or stupid. Probably both.

"Yes. It's not up for negotiation. I have spent six years working on you, I am going keep you around, at least half that long." The vampire paused briefly, moving a strand of hair from the girl face, before continuing. "You don't know how grotesque it is feeling the emotions of a hormonal girl, who can't face up to the fact that she is attracted to other women. I'm not just letting you go, after dealing with all that. " Eva replied, in a matter of fact tone.

Letting her go from what, he wondered ? What exactly did this human girl want out of ? What exactly had this vampire been doing, by 'working' on this girl. It was clear to him that this Eva, and this Malcolm, who was still just standing there casually, with a smirk still on his face, had some sort of setup. Perhaps he could use it to his advantage, if he could figure out what the two had going on, he could use this as leverage, either against the vampires, or as token in order to get the sheriff of the area on his side. It was a mistake after all, he didn't feel the need for the redemption on his actions, especially as the human girl was still alive. For the moment anyway.

Bill cleared his throat. His annoyance regarding the situation seemed to be increasing more and more, and he did not want to spend the entire night out here, If he could help it. As all three pairs eyes instantly looked towards him, he held his own stare against them. The vampire Malcolm had moved somewhat to stand closer to his maker. He could understand the protectiveness, he had done the same for Lorena when in 1905, when they came across an elder vampire Mr Northman. Eva placed a hand on her child's shoulder.

"It's alright my _le garcon de l'eau,_ he is a boy, no harm will come to us."

"I do not take kindly to you referring to me as, a boy, considering I have been on this earth for nearly a century now." Bill hissed, he had yet to retract his fangs from feeding on the girl. He did so detest rudeness, whether this was from a human or vampire, respect was underrated in his opinion, and he wished more people chose to use it when speaking to others.

Less than a second had passed before Eva's fangs had snapped down over her lips and her hand was clasped round his neck, her nails piercing into his skin. She was strong, and he was struggling against her vice-like grip.

"I have over five hundred years on you, Boy, you are nothing but a child compared to me, and I don't like disrespect, so I suggest you remember that, because clearly your maker has taught you nothing, based on your actions here tonight." Her fangs retracted back into her mouth, but the iron like grip remained against his neck.

"Evangeline." Malcolm warned. His tone seemed cautious, as he spoke to his maker. It seemed to Bill that Malcolm did not want to provoke her further, as if knew her temper too well. "Be careful. You said, we can't afford another death of a vampire in this area , the authority are watching. Especially considering there are glamour-able witnesses present." He hissed nodding his head towards the girl.

"Who said anything about killing him?" She snapped back, her tone very much different to the way she was speaking to the human girl earlier.

"Your temper usually" the vampire answered back, holding his hands up as he said it, in some sort of surrender. "I don't give a fuck, personally, if you kill him or not, but you will, when you calm down, mistress." he continued. Clearly Malcolm knew his maker well enough, that he could work out her next steps. Perhaps, this had happened before. The mention of the Authority was both curious but inconvenient to him. On the one hand, these vampires were clearly doing something that he could go to the authority with, but on the other hand, if the authority were watching these two, they could have also seen that he had fed on another vampire's human. No, he had to play this very carefully if he was going to come out of this with his fangs still intact.

With Eva, or Evangeline, as her child called her, this close to him it was first time he could really take in her appearance. Her eyes, the same brown, only different by the age shown in them, and the same waves lay in her dark brown hair, as Caroline. Her face showing the same child-like features as Caroline's did when they first met, after the arranged courtship by her his Father. There was nothing comely about either of them.

With an unneeded sigh, the vampire released her grasp on his neck. He retracted his fangs at the moment, out of respect for the vampire, making the choice not to kill him. He would have to be a gentleman about this. They clearly both had a similar idea about respect, so maybe he could use this and some of his southern charm, to defuse the ever growing tension.

"Merci, my child " Eva replied in a softer tone, stoking the face of Malcolm as she glided past him back towards the human girl. She held out her hand towards, pulling the girl up off of the cracked floor beneath them. He watched the human's face grimace slightly as she did, as he spotted how her heel didn't make contact with the floor beneath her, but instead remained on its toes. A birth defect perhaps, or possibly an accident.

"Kitten, I've got business to attend to now, you've had long night, why not just go home, get some rest, big day tomorrow, after all, right?

"I..." Eva had placed a finger on the girl's lips before she could utter a word. She lent in close to her so her lips were against her ears. If it wasn't for his enhanced vampire hearing, nobody would have known that she was whispering words in her ear.

"I do admire your fight, you are so much more fun than the others, they just sit there and cry all the time, but not you, you feel brave enough to answer me back and resist me, and you enjoy the pain I inflict on you because of it, and that's another reason why I keep you around. There was a pause while Eva placed a small kiss on girl's nose before continuing. "Not tonight though. Not after tonight's events, go home my delicious little masochist." The human girl seem to pause for moment before nodding, flinching slightly as Eva seem to grab her hair as she turned. Eva put her finger towards her own lip expectantly grabbing the human's hair tighter. The human girl seemed to hesitate slightly, before planting a kiss on the Vampire's lips, her cheeks blushing slightly, as Bill watched the scene in front of him.

"Good girl, off you go." With that Eva, let go of the human's hair, ushering her away as she did.

"You are not going to glamour her?" Bill questioned. Would the human girl not just run and scream at the next human she saw? That would then lead to more deaths because he would be forced to kill those who came after him. He didn't want more death on his hands, he had killed so many people for his maker, he did not want do that anymore. He did not want to be the monster Lorena had made him, against his will.

"No. You glamour them too much, they eventually forget their own bloody names." she paused, letting out a laugh, and whatever thought she seemed to have. "She won't say anything, she knows I can always find her, and what I will do her if she even thinks about it. Humans are idiotic, no doubt, but she is not that stupid."

"So Mr Compton, what exactly are we going to do about this current situation?" The vampire asked him curiously, still remaining stood next to her child. He had not introduced himself to the vampire so how would she know his name?

"I don't recall telling you my name." Bill replied.

"You didn't. However, your maker mentioned you on informing me of both of your presence in my area, as the sheriff. Clearly she did not feel the need to tell me of her departure."

"What makes you think she has left?" He replied. She was right of course, but why she knew of it, was something else.

Eva seemed to let out a laugh at his question before pressing her lips together again. "Mr Compton, a few moments ago,I had my hands around your neck, any respectful maker in the area, would come to her progeny's defence. By the way she spoke of you, I have no doubt she would have, if she were near."

"She released me." Bill replied coldly. He did not want her to think that he had any attachment to Lorena, nor that Lorena had any hold over him anymore, not in that way anyway. The things he had done for her, would always have a hold of him, there was no doubt about that.

Eva seemed to look to Malcolm with a curious look on her face, they seemed to exchange some sort of unspoken conversation before both vampire's gaze returned to his. "A decision, you convinced her to take, Mr Compton? Interesting, indeed." The vampire paused, before a smile plastered her face, like a child on Christmas day. "Then perhaps, we can come to some sort of agreement, Mr Compton? You must have quite the charisma, If you could convince your maker to release you, after the way she spoke of you, and I could use someone like that, especially with the mess you caused me this evening."

"Such a handsome face would get you many places." Malcolm chimed in. He had no attraction to men himself, though Lorena had explained most vampires weren't so binary in terms of who they associated with.

"I left her alive, unharmed, I do not see how my actions have affected whatever arrangement you have. What deal do you think would interest me? I do not even know who you are " he questioned. Whether she was an older vampire or not, it made no sense to blindly follow her, especially if the authority supposedly watching her. That seemed to him, a more dangerous game to play, even if he was curious to know why she looked so much like his wife.

"That's where you're wrong, Mr Compton. You scare her like that, it makes her wary and afraid, and when humans are afraid, they are less susceptible to manipulation. That means I am going to have put some time in her with her, to get her guard back down again, so I can get her back to behaving the way, I want her to. I don't put six years of hard work in, for some boy to come and undo it in a matter of moments." she paused as if choosing her words carefully. "While I'm doing that, it means I do not have the time to find other humans, that is where you come in, Mr Compton."

Bill watched her with interest, still unable to figure out the meanings behind the words she was saying, as she was still clearly hiding something, or at least not telling him the whole truth. "Find you a human? There are plenty who have been walking along the street, that you could take, and no one would notice." It was true, being as old as she claimed, would mean she could have grabbed countless numbers of Human's as they walked in and out of the building, that enclosed this very street.

"I do not believe in mindless and purposeless slaughter, Mr Compton. There are so many humans that other humans reject, so why should we, the superior species, also reject them? Should we not be better, and give these rejects something to live for, a purpose?. Even if this purpose is to serve us. Everyone functions better, when they have a purpose, Mr Compton, Was that not what you were looking for when you requested that your maker, release you?" She looked at him, as if she could see right through him.

Though he did not quite agree with her sentiment in terms of being the superior species, she did have a point about purpose. He wanted Lorena to release him, so that he could see past the bodies, and the blood that has taken over his life. He wanted to feel like he was worth something again, and not just a monster who killed innocents for fun. This wasn't a purpose he wanted though, ruining and breaking more human lives to serve a vampire.

"That, Mr Compton, is my price. If you feel you are not capable of that, I will call for the Magister, and tell him of you feeding on my human. I'm sure he would rejoice at the idea of pulling the fangs out of such as young vampire's mouth. He does so enjoy that cruelty. As sheriff of this area, I could arrange that quite quickly." The arrogance in Eva's voice had returned at this statement, "It is your choice, Mr Compton, but for what it's worth I think it would be such a waste if you go for the latter, and if you were to choose the first option, we could forget this incident ever happened."

It didn't appear like he had much of a choice in the matter. Both of them would mean parts of his life would be taken out of his control, but the first would mean he could at least have some control over it, and the direction he would be heading. She did also make a point, about not killing for the sake of it, and that would at least earn him some redemption.

" _Merde_!" It seemed to leave Eva's mouth before she could control it, as she appeared to place her hand over her mouth as she said it, letting her fangs snap down at the same time. She seemed to shivering, and vampires did not feel the cold. Malcolm had moved closer to his maker, concerned covering his face, wanting to know what was wrong.

" _Remus_." She muttered, directing her gaze to her progeny. "Do not follow me. You are in charge of the area till I get back, my _le garcon de l'eau_. Why don't you explain more to Mr Compton, about our little society, so that he can inform me of his decision on my return." she finished, her eyes flickering towards him, before returning to her progeny. "Do not worry, my child." She seemed to touch Malcolm's face briefly before there was a breeze, and she seemed to have disappeared into the blackness of the night.

He and the vampire Malcolm looked to each other for a moment, with a similar look of confusion on their face. "Mr Compton, I do so revolt spending my time here. There is a hotel not far from here, which is much more appealing and glamorous. Care to join me, Mr Compton?", There was an element of seduction in Malcolm's voice, and though he had no feelings for him in this way, perhaps he could use the attraction to his advantage.

He nodded, before following the vampire into the busy street beside them. He would have to use endless amounts of charm, and deceit to get him through, he could find some of his time with Lorena useful after all. He hated to admit that, he really did, but if he had learnt anything with his time with her, he had learnt that anyone was capable of just about anything, and now would be the time when he could truly find how who he was and what he was really capable of doing.


End file.
